U.S. patent number 6,059,916 [Application Number 08/886,332] was granted by the patent office on 2000-05-09 for process for the manufacture of a foam body for an ink cartridge.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pelikan Produktions AG. Invention is credited to Luzius Betschon.
United States Patent |
6,059,916 |
Betschon |
May 9, 2000 |
Process for the manufacture of a foam body for an ink cartridge
Abstract
A method of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly including
applying plastic foils to opposite surfaces of a sheet of foam
while heating the foils to a temperature above the melting
temperature of the foils using a heating press, stamping out a foam
body from the sheet, and inserting the body into an ink cartridge
housing. Alternatively, the surfaces are covered with a perforated
or porous varnish coating or with composite foils of first and
second layers having different melting temperatures where the layer
with the lower melting temperature is disposed against the sheet of
foam.
Inventors: |
Betschon; Luzius (Uster,
CH) |
Assignee: |
Pelikan Produktions AG
(CH)
|
Family
ID: |
26027135 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/886,332 |
Filed: |
July 1, 1997 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 2, 1996 [DE] |
|
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196 26 637 |
Feb 18, 1997 [DE] |
|
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197 06 266 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
156/256; 156/250;
156/308.2; 156/512; 156/517; 156/559; 156/583.1; 347/214;
347/86 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41J
2/17513 (20130101); Y10T 156/1052 (20150115); Y10T
156/1322 (20150115); Y10T 156/1751 (20150115); Y10T
156/1062 (20150115); Y10T 156/13 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B41J
2/175 (20060101); B32B 031/00 (); B41J
002/175 () |
Field of
Search: |
;347/86,214
;156/250,267,269,308.2,583.1,559,563,264,256,512,517
;428/212,304.4,688,621,624,626 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Crispino; Richard
Assistant Examiner: Gray; Linda L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fay, Sharpe, Fagan, Minnich &
McKee, LLP
Claims
Having thus described the invention, it is claimed:
1. A method of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly including a
foam body held in a housing, the method comprising the steps
of:
providing an ink cartridge housing;
providing a sheet of foam material having opposite face
surfaces;
applying a coating to the sheet of foam material by engaging each
of the opposite face surfaces with a composite foil formed of
layered first and second materials having different melting
temperatures so that the one of the first and second materials
having a lower melting temperature is in contact with the sheet of
foam;
stamping out a foam body from said sheet of foam material; and,
inserting said foam body into said ink cartridge housing.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said opposite face
surfaces of the foam material are simultaneously coated.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the foam material is
compressed and heated prior to coating so that it settles down,
wherein, subsequently, the two foils are sealed on in the same
process.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein after coating, a
plurality of foam bodies are simultaneously stamped out of the foam
sheet with a multiple punching knife.
5. The method to claim 1 wherein the coatings are perforated.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the composite foils are
bonded onto each of the opposite face surfaces of the sheet of foam
material by melting said one of the first and second materials
having a lower melting temperature.
7. A method of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly including a
foam body held in a housing, the method comprising the steps
of:
providing an ink cartridge housing;
providing a sheet of foam material having opposite face
surfaces;
providing plastic foils;
applying a coating to the opposite face surfaces by holding the
plastic foils against the opposite face surfaces of said sheet of
foam material while heating the plastic foils to a temperature
above the melting temperature of the foils using an associated
heated press plate;
stamping out a foam body from said sheet of foam material; and,
inserting said foam body into said ink cartridge housing.
8. The method of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly according
to claim 7 wherein the coatings are perforated.
9. The method of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly according
to claim 7 wherein the plastic foils are bonded onto the sheet of
foam material by said heating of the plastic foil to said
temperature above the melting temperature.
10. A method according of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly
including a foam body held in a housing, the method comprising the
steps of:
providing an ink cartridge housing;
providing a sheet of foam material having opposite face
surfaces;
applying perforated varnish coatings to said opposite face surfaces
of said sheet of foam material;
stamping out a foam body from said sheet of foam material; and,
inserting said foam body into said ink cartridge housing.
11. A method of manufacturing an ink cartridge assembly including a
foam body held in a housing, the method comprising the steps
of:
providing an ink cartridge housing;
providing a sheet of foam material having opposite face
surfaces;
applying porous varnish coatings to said opposite face surfaces of
said sheet of foam material;
stamping out a foam body from said sheet of foam material; and,
inserting said foam body into said ink cartridge housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a process for the manufacture of a
foam body for installation in an ink cartridge of an ink jet
printer. Such process is known from EP-A-709209. This specification
concerns a three-color ink jet print head. These punched-out foam
bodies are initially compressed in a heating press and warmed up,
so that they settle down. Prior to installation, a jacket is placed
around the foam body for the center chamber, which covers a portion
of the lower surface and the two large surfaces of the foam body.
The jacket consists, for example, of paper. The jacket facilitates
the installation of the foam body in the relatively narrow and high
center chamber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is based on the object of specifying a
process by means of which such laminated foam bodies can be
rationally produced. The object is achieved by applying a reduced
friction coating to the foam prior to stamping the bodies
therefrom. As will be described hereafter, many different coatings
can be used.
Still other advantages and benefits of the invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and
understanding of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following, an exemplary embodiment of the invention is
explained based on the drawing. The sole FIGURE shows a perspective
view of a housing of an ink cartridge with a foam body located
thereabove preparatory to being inserted in the housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawing wherein the showing is for purposes of
illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention only and not
for purposes of limiting same, the ink cartridge 1 has a housing 2
with a bottom 3 and lateral walls 4-7. The upper end is closed by a
cover which is not shown. On the bottom 3 there is formed a stub 8
for attachment to a print head of an ink jet printer. In the
mounted or assembled state, a foam body 10 is installed in the
housing 2. The foam body has a base area 11 shaped generally in
accordance with the interior side of the bottom 3, four lateral
areas 12-15, and a top area 16. The two broad side areas 12 and 14
are coated with a material which has a significantly lower friction
coefficient vis-a-vis the material of the housing 2 than the foam
body 10. The coating 17 can, for instance, be a thermoplastic foil,
for example PE or PU, attached by hot melt glue, or a tissue, a
fleece, or a coating of varnish. The coating may be porous or
perforated. It need not necessarily cover the entire surface.
When installing the foam body 10 in housing 2, the foam body is
slightly compressed perpendicular to the surfaces 12 and 14. As a
result of the coating 17 it is possible to easily insert the foam
body into the housing, without corners or edges getting stuck on
corners or surfaces of the housing, thus creating empty spaces in
the vicinity of the bottom and, adjacent thereto, buckled areas of
the foam body 10 with altered capillarity. Both phenomena, which
previously were difficult to prevent during installation of the
foam body, reduce the available foam volume of the foam body
10.
A better utilization of the interior space of the housing 2 is thus
obtained because the foam body slides down into the corners.
Simultaneously, a more uniform distribution of pore size is
achieved. A less expensive press-in device is needed. Under certain
circumstances, prior compressing of the foam body 10 can be
waived.
Naturally, the identical benefits also accrue if the foam body 10
is installed directly in a print head, in other words, a print head
which is not designed for insertion of exchange cartridges.
Prior to stamping out the foam body 10, the coating 17 is applied
to the flat surface of the foam material, from which, subsequently,
in one stroke, a multitude of foam bodies are simultaneously
punched out with a multiple stamping gauge (band steel knife).
coating 17 is applied in a heating press, either simultaneously on
both sides or initially on one side only, whereby, subsequently,
the foam material sheet is turned and the other side is laminated.
If the lamination foil (for example PU or PE) is coated with a hot
melt glue, the temperature of the press plate (s) of the heating
press is selected between the melting temperature of the hot melt
glue and the higher melt temperature of the foil. For an
unlaminated foil, a press plate is used which is coated with a
non-adhesive material, for instance TEFLON.TM. commonly referred to
as "PTFE", and the plate is heated to a temperature which is higher
than the melting temperature of the foil. It is, however, also
possible to use a composition foil of two different materials with
different melting temperatures, whereby the material with the lower
melting temperature is placed facing the foam material plate. If
the foam material plate is beforehand compressed in a heating press
in order to increase the pore number per volume unit, then the
coating 17 can subsequently be sealed in the same heating
press.
The invention has been described with reference to the preferred
embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to
others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It
is intended to include all such modifications and alterations
insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the
equivalents thereof.
* * * * *